Helping Black Boys Heal From Violence, Trauma

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Family, friends, coaches and teammates wore black and orange in tribute to a little boy gone too soon. One by one, they made their way to the front of Liberty Towers Church to say goodbye. Among them, a toddler who had to be lifted up by his mother as he was too small to see inside the casket.& & & & Keith “KJ” Frierson’s loved ones spoke of his kind and generous nature and vowed to never forget him or his ever-present smile. The 10-year-old was fatally shot by another 10-year-old boy on December 30. The killing reportedly happened after the shooter lost a bike race, retrieved his father’s gun from his vehicle and returned to fire it at Frierson. As a minor, the shooter was arrested and released. Instead, his father, Arkete Davis, now faces a number of charges, including child endangerment, accessory after the fact and being a felon in possession of a gun, which turned out to be stolen. By: Genoa Barrow “We cannot let this boy’s murder be a one-day news story and forgotten about by tomorrow morning,” Sheriff Jim Cooper said via X, formerly known as Twitter....